Amitabh Bachchan, who only eight months ago confessed he wanted to be a journalist in his next life, continues to have problems with those practising the craft in their current life.
Four months ago, the BBC’s star of the millennium” was in a tug-of-war with Abhijit Mazumder of MiD-DaY. Earlier this week, he had problems with Kaveree Bamzai of India Today.
Today Bachchan, who played the conscientious media baron Vijay Harshvardhan Malik in Rann two weeks ago, is sparring with The Times of India group and Meenal Baghel of Mumbai Mirror.
The tabloid from the Bennett, Coleman stable, issued free with The Times of India in Bombay, ran a story attributed to “Mumbai Mirror Bureau” on his daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai allegedly having problems in conceiving due to stomach tuberculosis.
“It’s no secret that Aishwarya is 37, and she isn’t getting any younger. But it now comes to light that the reason for her inability to bear a child at the moment is because she has been suffering from stomach tuberculosis for a while.
“Says a source, ‘The medication Aishwarya is taking for her stomach ailment is hampering her from getting pregnant. Until the tuberculosis is fully cured, she is unlikely to risk a pregnancy’,” reads the operative portion from the story.
Aishwarya Rai denied the story on the day it appeared, calling it false and fabricated, which the paper carried in full.
Now, Bachchan, who, according to Mumbai Mirror, is said to have described the ailment as rich man’s TB on his blog, has blogged back against the “soiled and unworthy piece of garbage” in post number 669, demanding an apology and a retraction for the “debased journalism”.
“The unprofessional and slanderous nature of this article in such an esteemed and respected newspaper as the Mumbai Mirror is deeply disturbing. It brings the author of this article into disrepute. It brings the editor that published this article into disrepute. It brings this particular newspaper into disrepute.
“Due to the illicit nature of this slander, I request a retraction and full apology. The full apology comprises the names of the individual journalist and chief editor, the journalist’s and editor’s unqualified retraction and refutation of the contents of thearticle, the apology should be addressed to both Aishwarya Rai Bachchan first and specifically, and also to the Bachchan family in general.
“The apology is to be printed on the first page of the entertainment section of the Mumbai Mirror on the same page, in the same size print, and including the signatures of the aforementioned journalist and editor and an immediate donation of a sum of (amount to be decided by members of my extended family of the blog) to a national charitable foundation of your choosing that supports those who suffer fromtuberculosis and an article in your newspaper highlighting its work.”
Newspaper screenshot: courtesy Mumbai Mirror
Also read: ‘FIR is not a license to titillate or sensationalise’
Pradyuman Maheshwari: Will someone ask Amitabh Bachchan to keep a check on what he blogs?
IJR 
Bachchan scores over DeveGowda here in not abusing even the cheaper.
Though successful in brushing off politics notwithstanding semi latent pressure unlike his wife; he lately has succumbed to public blogs and media provocation!!
looking forward to post number 786.
Shame on you mumbai mirror…….if this type of news was published for your own mother , sister or wife you would have been ready to cross any steps…BIGB is still very modest in his approach…..Mumbai Mirror is a disgusting form of journalism….
Mumbai mirror you should be ashamed of yourself. The entire team should hide their filthy faces and should immediately abondon their practice of publishing the untrue stories to create sensation and earn few buck. Shame on you Menal. Apologize to the Bachchan family now!!!